Women in Islam

Since the Quran assumes that women are not equal to men in worth and value it therefore
comes as no surprise that it places them as property that the men own:

Your women ARE A TILLAGE for you; so come unto your tillage AS YOU WISH, and forward
for your souls; and fear God, and know that you shall meet Him. Give thou good tidings to
the believers. S. 2:223 Arberry

The hadiths provide the reason why this passage was given:

Narrated Jabir:
Jews used to say: "If one has sexual intercourse with his wife from the back, then
she will deliver a squint-eyed child." So this Verse was revealed:--
"Your wives are a tilth unto you; so go to your tilth when or how you will."
(2.223) (Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 6, Book 60,
Number 51)

The hadiths even tell us how Allah and his angels feel about a woman that refuses to
allow her husband to enter her when and how he wants:

Narrated Abu Huraira:
Allah's Apostle said, "If a husband calls his wife to his bed (i.e. to have sexual
relation) and she refuses and causes him to sleep in anger, the angels will curse
her till morning." (Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 4, Book 54,
Number 460)

Abu Huraira (Allah be pleased with him) reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon
him) as saying: By Him in Whose Hand is my life, when a man calls his wife to his bed, and
she does not respond, the One Who is in the heaven is displeased with her until he (her
husband) is pleased with her. (Sahih Muslim, Book 008,
Number 3367)

Some Muslims get really ingenious and argue that the above narrations prove that men
cant force their wives to have sex since it speaks of men sleeping in anger. If he
could force his wife to have sex then there would be no need for him to sleep angry.

This rather desperate explanation overlooks the fact that Muhammad is warning and
scaring the women into satisfying their husbands sexual wishes. The women are being
warned NOT TO refrain from sleeping with their husbands since Allah will be angry with
them. So there is no need for men to force their wives to have sex since Muhammad already
did it for them by putting them under the fear and condemnation of God. Muhammad clearly
used religion as a weapon, a tool of domination, as a psychological tactic to scare women
into doing want men wanted.

Thankfully, there are others who see these verses and hadiths for what they truly are,
examples of misogyny, evidence that Islam has a very low opinion of women.

One example of such a person is liberal Muslim writer and feminist Irshad Manji. She
has quite an amusing response to Muslims who try to sidestep the obvious implications of
Sura 2:223:

In light of the raped woman in Nigeria, one more passage from the Koran bowled me over.
"Women are your fields," it says. "Go then, into your fields when you
please. Do good works and fear God." Huh? Go into women when you please, yet do good?
Are women partners or property? Partners, insists Jamal Badawi, renowned Koranic scholar.
He assures me that this "sexually enlightened" verse serves as a defense of
foreplay. Like fields, women need tender loving care in order to turn sperm into real
human beings. The farmers "seed is worthless unless you have fertile land that
will give it growth," Badawi says, looking quite satisfied with his progressive
explanation. But he has only addressed the words, "God into your fields." What
about the words, "when you please"? Doesnt that qualifier give men undue
power? The question remains: Which paradigm does Allah advocate - Adam and Eve equals, or
women as land to be plowed (excuse me, stroked) on a whim? (Manji, The Trouble with
Islam Today [St. Martin's Griffin, paperback, March 16, 2005], Chapter 2,
"Seventy Virgins", p. 35)

There is at least one positive thing Muhammad did after giving men the right to enter their wives
when and how they want. Muhammad at least required men to get the permission of free women
whether they could withdraw during sexual intercourse!

The people of Quraysh "had sexual intercourse with their wives from in
front and from behind," and this latter position was unknown among the Medinese. An
Ansari woman went to see Umm Salama and asked her to put the question to the Prophet. As
was his custom, the Prophet summoned the person concerned in order to communicate the
response revealed by Heaven. When the woman came, the Prophet/arbiter/legislator recited
verse 233 of sura 2, which gives to men ALONE the right of decision regarding sexual
positions: "Your women are a tilth to you (to cultivate) so go to your tilth as ye
will." Using an impressive collection of testimonia, al-Tabari shows us that this
verse, far from closing the debate, did nothing but start it up again. Some people said
that the verse permitted sodomy, others that it forbade it, and the argument also extends
to vaginal intercourse, from behind.

We are faced - and al-Tabari along with us  with one of those ambiguous verses,
susceptible to various interpretations, which require the imam who undertakes to explicate
the Koran to be doubly vigilant. The fussy, hairsplitting al-Tabari takes every
precaution: 41 testimonia, opinions, and views are minutely examined. Some of them
maintain that the verse sanctifies mens right TO SODOMIZE their wives. No point of
view is ignored. Even the most ridiculous have the right to be cited: "Abd
al-Rahman told me someone had said to Yazid Ibn Aslam: Muhammad Ibn
al-Munkadir advises men not to sodomize their wives. Yazid said: By Muhammad,
I testify that I heard Muhammad Ibn al-Munkadir say that he practiced it
himself."

What is certain is that with this verse Heaven supported the men. They had the right to
use the positions that they wanted; women had no right to protest; they had only to submit
to mens whims. In any case, this verse excluded women from the debate, and by so
doing transformed the question, which was thus reduced to the following: Do men have the
right to sodomize their wives?

Moreover, one explicit version of this debate rewrote the history of its origin,
suppressing the Ansari womans question and substituting for it a male problem. In
this version, it was no longer women who initiated the debate, but men. While chatting
with each other and exchanging confidences about different sexual positions, they stumbled
onto the subject of sodomy. They noted that they did not know exactly what Islams
stand on this practice was. So they decided to go to the Prophet and put the question to
him.

Another version brings a Medinese Jew on to the scene. He was having a discussion with
a Muslim, who confided in him that he had intercourse with his wife from behind.
Horrified, the Jew cried: "But you are like the beasts; we [that is, the Jewish
community] have only one way of making love with our wives." Still another version
says that in fact Allah intervened because a Jew had told the Muslims: "When a man
has intercourse with his wife from behind, the child who is born from such copulation will
be blemished; it will be crosseyed." With verse 223 of sura 2 Allah invalidated what
the Jew had said (though here, of course, sodomy is not in question).

The particularly revealing debate concerning this verse allows us to grasp the depth of
the problem that this book seeks to make clear: the use of the sacred by men to legitimize
certain privileges, whether they be of a political or a sexual nature. Three centuries
later, when al-Tabari in his role as imam was trying to help the believer clarify the
meaning of this verse, the debate was still going! And still today they are arguing about
whether a Muslim does or does not have the right to sodomize his wife! Al-Tabari,
as brilliant as he was, did not help his contemporaries to resolve this question, leaving
it bogged down in observations that are strangely reminiscent of the time of jahiliyya
(the era of ignorance). Observations like: "Yes, I have the right to sodomize";
and "No, you dont have the right to sodomize." He did not try to evolve
principles that codified what is permitted and what is forbidden in the heterosexual act
by recalling the equality of the partners as believers. He did not go beyond the incident
to arrive at the principle that the sex act depends on two distinct free wills; that it
is a relationship between two believers with needs and desires that do not necessarily
coincide. It was this timidity on the part of the imam toward the necessity to evolve
principles that makes the verses so malleable, and makes the opportunism in their
interpretation a structural, almost institutional, feature of Islam.

Al-Tabari did add a supplementary opinion, his own, which said that the verse permits
the man to have intercourse with his wife when he wishes, as he wishes, from in front or
from behind, the essential point being that he must penetrate her through the vagina, the
sole spot where insemination is guaranteed. Thus, according to him, sodomy was formally
forbidden. But the essential question remained without answer: what principle in Islam
regulates the role of the woman during the sex act? Did or did not the free will of a
woman as a Muslim person exist? And were there cases where this free will was affirmed and
others in which it disappeared? It was the answer to this essential question that woman
tried to obtain from Heaven. The pre-Islamic laws on this matter were very clear; since a
woman could be inherited or taken as a hostage and reduced to slavery (contrary to a man,
who was in principles physically done away with after the defeat of his tribe), her free
will could be suspended in certain situations. (Fatima Mernissi, The Veil and the Male
Elite: A Feminist Interpretation of Womens Rights in Islam, translated by Mary
Jo Lakeland [Perseus Books Publishing, Cambridge Massachusetts, 1987], pp. 145-148)

There is plenty of evidence from both the commentators and hadith for the
permissibility of anal sex. Imam Al-Bukhari recorded the following exegesis of Sura 2:223:

Narrated Nafi:
Whenever Ibn Umar recited the Qur'an, he would not speak to anyone till he had
finished his recitation. Once I held the Qur'an and he recited Surat-al-Baqara from his
memory and then stopped at a certain Verse and said, "Do you know in what connection
this Verse was revealed?" I replied, "No." He said, "It was revealed
in such-and-such connection." Ibn Umar then resumed his recitation. Nafi added
regarding the Verse:-- "So go to your tilth when or how you will." Ibn
Umar said, "It means one should approach his wife in "
Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 6, Book 60,
Number 50)

Curiously, part of Ibn Umars comments are missing. The following source
gives the probable reason why they are:

"Ibn Abbas said, in question with this verse, that the Muslims from Medina had
previously practiced a type of sexual relationship between husband and wife which they
had learned from the Jews, in which the husband honours his wife with respect. When the
Muslims from Mecca arrived, they brought a different standard of behaviour with them. This
created a severe tension in the Islamic community. Muhammad answered it with the above
verse and allowed men to behave as they wished. He allowed his followers anything that
would satisfy their beastly lusts. (The full text of this hadith is not translated
out of spiritual reservations).

"Ibn Abbas said: Umar came to Muhammad and said: "I have
perished." "Why?" Muhammad asked. It is because I have altered the
normal position of sex tonight." He meant to say that he had sexual intercourse
away from his usual place. At first, Muhammad gave no reply, then he claimed that Allah
gave him license. Muhammad and Umar were shameless and immodest. Muhammad should have
guided Umar to Gods holiness and purity.

"Al-Bukhari narrated after Ibn Umar that al-Baqara 2:223 was revealed on the
issue of having anal intercourse with women. Al-Tabarani narrated in Al-Aswat,
with a reliable chain of traditions, that Your women are a tillage for you was
only revealed to license anal intercourse (Asbab al-Nuzul by al-Suyuti on Sura
al-Baqara 2:223)." (True Guidance, pt. 5, pp. 48-49; bold emphasis ours)

Ibn Kathir, although condemning the practice, acknowledges that there were certain
Muslims who claimed that Ibn Umar did permit this act:

"Quoting his father, from his grand father, Amru Ibn Shuaib narrated that
the Prophet said: Having sex with ones wife in the anus is minor sodomy.
On the authority of Ali Ibn Talq, Imam Ahmed narrated: The Prophet has forbidden
sexual intercourse with ones wife in the anus, for Allah is not ashamed of the
truth. Quoting Abu Hurayrah: The Prophet said: Allah will not look at whoever
has sex with his wife in the anus. Also, it was narrated on the authority of Abu
Hurayrah that the Prophet said: Cursed is he who has sex with his wife in the
anus. Any Ahadith which allow such act are considered incorrect and they were
all examined by our Sheikh al-Hafidh Abu Abdullah adh-Dhahabi in a volume which he
compiled, and proved weak and false.

"It was narrated on the authority of IBN UMAR, Malik, ash-Shafii and
at-Tahawi THAT IT IS LAWFUL but it is untrue. An-Nasr as-Sabbagh said: Ar-Rabi' used
to swear by Allah that Ibn Abdul Hakam had lied, when he had made allegations against
ash-Shafii concerning the lawfulness of having sex with ones wife in the anus.
On the contrary, ash-Shafii mentioned the unlawfulness of having sex with ones
wife in the anus in six of his books, and Allah knows best. Also, Ibn Umar forbade it. On
the authority of Sa'id Ibn Yasar abu al-Habbab, ad-Darami narrated: I said to Ibn
Umar: What do you think of having sex with ones wife in the anus?" Ibn
Umar said: "Does anyone of the Muslims do that?" This is a good Isnad,
and explicitly reveals the unlawfulness of such act, and anything attributed to him is
rejected on the ground of the above Hadith.

"Mamar Ibn Isa narrated that Malik considered having sex with
ones wife in the anus is unlawful. Quoting Israel Ibn Rawh, Abu Bakr Ibn Zayyad
an-Nisaburi narrated: I asked Malik Ibn Anass opinion on having sex with
ones wife from the back, he said: "You are but Arabs, and can sowing be in a
place other than that which has been ploughed? Do not go beyond the vagina." I said:
"People claim that you say that?" He said: "It is a lie, it is a
lie." Thus, this is what has been attributed to them, and it involved Abu
Hanifa, ash-Shafii, Ahmed Ibn Hanbal and their companions, followers and other
scholars from the Salaf. They entirely denied the allegation and some of
them even believed that having sex with one's wife in the anus is Kufr."
(Tafsir Ibn Kathir, Part 2 Surah Al-Baqarah, ayat 142 to 252, Abridged by Sheikh
Muhammad Nasi Ar-Rifai [Al-Firdous Ltd, London; 1998, first edition], pp. 191-192;
bold and capital emphasis ours)

Sunni Muslim historian and Quranic exegete al-Tabari narrated some of these traditions
of Ibn Umar:

Others said, "Rather, it means that you may have intercourse whenever you want
and in whatever manner you want." Of those who narrated this:

It was narrated Yakub, Narrated by Hushaim, narrated by Ibn Awn, narrated by
Nafi who related that whenever Ibn Umar read the Quran he would not speak, but one
day I read the verse, "Your wives are as a tilth unto you: so approach your tilth
when or how you will" (Sura 2:223). So he said, "Do you know about whom this
verse was revealed?" I replied, "No." He said, "This verse was
revealed about PENETRATING WOMEN IN THEIR ANUS."

It was narrated by Ibrahim Ibn Abdullah Ibn Muslim Abu Muslim, narrated by Abu Umar Al
Dariri, narrated by Ismail Ibn Ibrahim (owner of) Al Karabisi, narrated by Ibn Awn,
narrated by Nafi who said, "I used to (inquire) from Ibn Umar whenever he read
the verse in the Quran, Your wives are as a tilth unto you: so approach your tilth
when or how you will (Sura 2:223), he would say, Meaning to have
intercourse with women IN THEIR ANUS."

It was narrated by Abdel Rahman Ibn Abdullah Ibn Abdel Hakam, narrated by Abdel Malik
Ibn Maslama, narrated by Al Darawardi who stated that it was related to Zaid Ibn Aslam
that Muhammad Ibn Al Munkadir used to forbid penetrating women through their anus so Zaid
responded, "I bear witness against Muhammad that he informed me that he
performed this."

It was related about Al Harith Ibn Yakub that he narrated about Abi Al Habab Said
Ibn Yassar that he asked Ibn Umar and said, "O Abu Abdul Rahman! We buy slave girls,
so may we commit Nahmid with them?" So he replied, "And what is this
Nahmid?" He responded, "(penetrating) the ANUS."
Ibn Umar said, "Wow, Wow! Does a believer do that?"

It was narrated by Abu Kilaba, narrated by Abdel Samad, who said that it was narrated
by his father who narrated from Ayub, narrated from Nafi, narrated by Ibn Umar who
said that (Sura 2:223), Your wives are as a tilth unto you: so approach your tilth
when or how you will, WAS REGARDING THE ANUS.
(Arabic
Source; translation and all bold, capital, and underline emphasis ours)

Hence, Ibn Umar the son of the third caliph Umar ibn al-Khattab allowed for men to
engage in anal sex. This perhaps explains why Ibn Abbas claimed that Ibn Umar misunderstood
the meaning of this specific text:

Narrated Abdullah Ibn Abbas:

Ibn Umar misunderstood (the Qur'anic verse, "So come to your tilth however
you will")MAY ALLAH FORGIVE HIM. The fact is that this clan of the Ansar,
who were idolaters, lived in the company of the Jews who were the people of the Book.
They (the Ansar) accepted their superiority over themselves in respect of knowledge,
and they followed most of their actions. The people of the Book (i.e. the Jews) used to
have intercourse with their women on one side alone (i.e. lying on their backs). This
was the most concealing position for (the vagina of) the women. This clan of the Ansar
adopted this practice from them. But this tribe of the Quraysh used to uncover their
women completely, and seek pleasure with them from in front and behind and laying them
on their backs.

When the muhajirun (the immigrants) came to Medina, a man married a woman of the Ansar.
He began to do the same kind of action with her, but she disliked it, and said to him:
We were approached on one side (i.e. lying on the back); do it so, otherwise keep away
from me. This matter of theirs spread widely, and it reached the Apostle of Allah
(peace_be_upon_him).

So Allah, the Exalted, sent down the Qur'anic verse: "Your wives are a tilth to
you, so come to your tilth however you will," i.e. from in front, from behind or
lying on the back. But this verse meant the place of the delivery of the child, i.e.
the vagina. (Sunan Abu Dawud, Book 11,
Number 2159)

Notice how this hadith simply disregards and degrades the rights of women by giving men
the right to completely ignore the wishes of their wives regarding sexual positions.
Interestingly, it isnt a coincidence that Ibn Abbas claim regarding Ibn
Umars misunderstanding is positioned after the following narration:

Narrated AbuHurayrah:
The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: He who has intercourse with his wife through her
anus is accursed. (Sunan Abu Dawud, Book 11,
Number 2157)

Finally, here is a narration from al-Tirmidhi regarding Muhammad permitting Umar
to engage in anal sex with his wives:

"Ibn Abbas narrates that Hadhrath Umar went before the Messenger of God and said,
Master I am destroyed! The Messenger of God asked, What thing has
destroyed you? Umar replied, Last night I had anal sex. The Messenger of
God did not give a reply to Umar, then Allah sent down this revelation, Your wives
are as a tilth unto you; so approach your tilth when or how ye will; the words
"kabool wa Dhabar" (the anus is accepted)." (Jami Al-Tirmidhi,
Bab al-Tafseer, Volume 2, p. 382, Ayat Hars)

In fact, one Sunni source claims that the Shia sect of Islam actually condones anal sex
till now. The translator of the hadith collection of Sunan Abu Dawud noted:

1483. This shows that it is not lawful to have intercourse with ones wife
through her anus. This is the view agreed upon by the whole community. The Shi'ah
alone allow intercourse through anus, but this is against the traditions which prohibit
this practice. (Sunan Abu Dawud, English translation and Explanatory notes
by Prof. Ahmad Hasan, Volume II, p. 579)

What the foregoing confusion proves is that the Quran nowhere expressly forbids
engaging in anal sex, since if it did there wouldnt be so much confusion amongst
Muslim writers and the Islamic traditions. It basically took Muslim tradition to
straighten out the mess left by the Qurans lack of clarity on this issue,
and even that tradition wasnt unanimous.

In all this debate about anal sex in the Muslim sources, it is always the question
whether a man may do it or not. Not once is the issue raised whether or not the wife likes
this. Whether the husband is allowed to commit this act on his wife depends only on Allah,
or Muhammad, or the companions or commentators opinions but not on the wife. Is this
not another strong evidence that Islam does not honor but degrades women who simply have
to accept what the man (or some men) decides in regard to sexual practice?

Moreover, the comment that women are tilth implies that Muhammad viewed women
as nothing more than breeders, that there real value was in their ability to give birth.
If they were unable to get pregnant then he considered them to be basically useless:

Narrated Ma'qil ibn Yasar:
A man came to the Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) and said: I have found a woman
of rank and beauty, but she does not give birth to children. Should I marry her?
He said: No. He came again to him, but he prohibited him. He came to him third time,
and he (the Prophet) said: Marry women who are loving and very prolific, for I shall
outnumber the peoples by you. (Sunan Abu Dawud, Book 11,
Number 2045)

We now turn to a passage which we mentioned earlier:

The love of desires, of women and sons and hoarded treasures of gold and silver and
well bred horses and cattle and tilth, is made to seem fair to men; this is the provision
of the life of this world; and Allah is He with Whom is the good goal (of life). S. 3:14 Shakir

Muhammad placed women on a list of things that a man desires and owns. In the hadiths,
he and his followers even placed them on the same level as horses, dogs and asses!

Narrated Aisha:
The things which annul the prayers were mentioned before me. They said, "Prayer is
annulled by a dog, a donkey AND A WOMAN (if they pass in front of the praying people)."
I said, "You have made us (i.e. women) dogs. I saw the Prophet praying while
I used to lie in my bed between him and the Qibla. Whenever I was in need of something, I
would slip away, for I disliked to face him." (Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 1, Book 9,
Number 490)

Abu Dharr reported: THE MESSENGER OF ALLAH (may peace be upon him) SAID: When
any one of you stands for prayer and there is a thing before him equal to the back of the
saddle that covers him and in case there is not before him (a thing) equal to the back of
the saddle, HIS PRAYER WOULD BE CUT OFF BY (passing of an) ASS, WOMAN, AND BLACK DOG.
I said: O Abu Dharr, what feature is there in a black dog which distinguish it from the
red dog and the yellow dog? He said: O, son of my brother, I asked the Messenger of Allah
(may peace be upon him) as you are asking me, and he said: The black dog is a devil.
(Sahih Muslim, Book 004,
Number 1032)

Abu Huraira reported: THE MESSENGER OF ALLAH (may peace be upon him) SAID: A WOMAN,
AN ASS AND A DOG DISRUPT THE PRAYER, but something like the back of a saddle guards
against that. (Sahih Muslim, Book 004,
Number 1034)

The Quran mentions things which are a source of trials, tribulations, for men:

And know ye that your possessions and your progeny are but a trial (fitnatun);
and that it is God with Whom lies your highest reward. S. 8:28 Y. Ali

Your possessions and your children are only a trial (fitnatun),
and Allah it is with Whom is a great reward. S. 64:15 Shakir

According to the so-called sound narrations the greatest source of trials
are the women:

Narrated Abdullah bin Umar:
Allahs Apostle said, "Evil omen is in the women, the house and the
horse." (Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 7, Book 62,
Number 30;
see also Numbers 31 and 32)

Usama b. Zaid reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: I have not
left after me any (chance) of turmoil more injurious to men than the harm done to the
men because OF WOMEN. (Sahih Muslim, Book 036,
Number 6603;
see also 6604)

In light of the foregoing, women would have to fall under the category of wealth or
possessions which the Quran mentions since they are obviously not children! Basically,
the hadiths are simply further confirming that women are the possession of the men.

The hadith compiler Ibn Majah provides further evidence for this view:

1855. Abdullah b. Amr (Allah be pleased with him) is reported to
have said that Allah's Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said,
"Verily, the world is a property (1) and nothing of the property of the world is
better than a righteous woman."

1856 Thauban (Allah be pleased with him) is reported to have said that when (the
command) concerning gold and silver was revealed, they (the people) said, "Which
property should we get?" Umar (Allah be pleased with him) said, "I will
inform you of it." Then he rode his camel and spurred it. Then he reached the Holy
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and I was behind him. Then he said,
"Allahs Messenger, which property should we acquire?" Upon this, he said,
"Anyone of you should possess a heart thankful (to Allah), a tongue devoted to
(Allah's) mention and a righteous wife helping anyone of you in the matter of the
Hereafter."

According to al-Zawaid, Nasai declared Abdullah b. Amr b. Marra
da'if while Hakim and ibn Hibban held him reliable. Ibn Mu'in said, "There is
no objection against him," and said: Tirmidhi transmitted in at-Tafsir direct
from him a version other than 'Umar's version; and said: It is hasan.

1857 Abu Umma (Allah be pleased with him) is reported to have said on the
authority of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) that he used to
say: A Believer does not get more benefit of the good he possesses, after
God-consciousness, than a righteous wife. If he commands her, she obeys him, if he
casts a glance at her, she pleases her[sic] (1) and if he takes an oath against her, she
fulfils it and if he is absent from her, she is sincere to him regarding her person and
his property.

According to al-Zawa'id, its isnad has Ali b. Yazid. Bukhari said about
him: He is a transmitter of munkar traditions. As for Uthman b. Atika,
there is a difference of opinion about him. Nasai has transmitted this hadith from
the hadith of Abu Huraira and he has observed silence against him. He has a proof from the
hadith of 'Abdullah b. Umar. (Sunan Ibn-I-Majah (Imam Abu Abdullah
Muhammad b. Yazid Ibn-I-Maja Al-Qazwini), English version by Muhammad Tufail Ansari [Kazi
Publications, Lahore (Pakistan), 1st edition 1995], Chapter NO. V, "The
Best Women", Volume III, pp. 119-121)

Adding insult to injury, Muhammad even advised men to pray for Gods protection
from the harm in women, female slaves and camels!

Narrated Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-As:

The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: If one of you marries a woman or buys a slave, he
should say: "O Allah, I ask Thee for the good in her, and in the disposition Thou
hast given her; I take refuge in Thee from the evil in her, and in the disposition
Thou hast given her." When he buys a camel, he should take hold of the top
of its hump and say the same kind of thing."

Abu Dawud said: Abu Said added the following words in his version: He should
then take hold of her forelock and pray for blessing in case of a woman or a slave.
(Sunan Abu Dawud, Book 11,
Number 2155)

What about the evil of the men? Are there any prayers prescribed for women to seek
protection from the evil of the man?

Muhammad went further and told Muslims to seize their wives foreheads,
much like they should do to their slaves and animals, and pray for the good which
they gain from them and against the evil inherent in them!

1918. 'Abdullah b. 'Amr (Allah be pleased with him) reported on
the authority of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) who
said, "When anyone of you benefits him with a woman or a servant or a cattle
he should seize its forehead and pray: O Allah, I beg of Thee its good and
the good of its natural disposition with which it has been created and I
seek refuge in Thee of its evil and of the disposition with which it has
been created." (Sunan Ibn-I-Majah, Volume III, Chapter No. XXVII,
"The Supplication At The Time Of Sexual Intercourse", p. 157)

What about women doing that to their husbands? Why didnt Muhammad command
them to do the same with their husbands foreheads? Why give this right to husbands only?

As a further indication that a woman is a mans possession and property in Islam
is the Qurans command to place the former under a kind of house arrest. In Islam
women are only allowed to leave their homes if it is necessary and by permission of their
husbands:

O wives of the Prophet! you are not like any other of the women; If you will be on your
guard, then be not soft in (your) speech, lest he in whose heart is a disease yearn; and
speak a good word. AND STAY IN YOUR HOUSES and do not display your finery like the
displaying of the ignorance of yore; and keep up prayer, and pay the poor-rate, and obey
Allah and His Apostle. Allah only desires to keep away the uncleanness from you, O people
of the House! and to purify you a (thorough) purifying. S. 33:32-33 Shakir

Earlier we had looked at texts which said that wives are prisoners of men, a position
supported by the above text as the reader can see.

The following quotations come from Ahmad ibn Naqib al-Misris Reliance of the
Traveler: A Classic Manual of Islamic Sacred Law In Arabic English Text, Commentary
And Appendices edited and translated by Nuh Ha Mim Keller (Amana Publications,
Beltsville Maryland, revised edition 1994). It is one of the more respected, classical
works in Islamic theology. This 1200+ page volume contains fundamentals of Islamic
jurisprudence compiled by "the great 13th century hadith scholar and
jurisprudent" Imam Nawawi, and others. Keep in mind that this work was not
written with a Western audience in view since Imam Nawawi wanted to produce a book on
Islamic law that was precise, and accurate, one that taught true Islamic values,
specifically for a Muslim audience. The manual says in section m10.3-4 that:

(A: A husband may permit his wife to leave the house for a lesson in Sacred Law, for
invocation of Allah (dhikr), to see her female friends, or to go to any place in the town.
A woman may not leave the city without her husband or a member of her marriageable kin
(def: m6.2) accompanying her, unless the journey is obligatory, like the hajj. It is
unlawful for her to travel otherwise, and unlawful for her husband to allow her to.) (n:
In the Hanafi school, it is not unlawful for her to travel beyond the city limits without
a husband or member of her unmarriageable kin unless the distance to her intended
destination exceeds ca. 77 km./ 48 mi. (al-Lubub fi sharh al-Kitab) (y88), 1.105).)

The husband may forbid his wife to leave the home (O: because of the hadith related by
Bayhaqi that the Prophet said,

"It is not permissible for a woman who believes in Allah and the Last Day
to allow someone into her husbands house if he is opposed, or to go out if he is
averse").

But if one of her relatives dies, it is preferable to let her leave to visit them. (p. 538)

And in section m10.12 it says:

(2) It is not lawful for a wife to leave the house except by permission of her husband,
though she may do so without permission when there is a pressing necessity. Nor may a wife
permit anyone to enter her husbands home unless he agrees, even their unmarriageable
kin. Nor may she be alone with a nonfamily member male, under any circumstances. (p. 541)

It also writes in section p.42.2:

The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said:

(1) "Allah will not look at a woman who is ungrateful to her husband, while unable
to do without him."

(2) "When a man calls his wife to bed and she will not come, and he spends the
night angry with her, the angels curse her until morning."

(3) "It is not lawful for a woman to fast when her husband is present, save by his
leave. Nor to permit anyone into his house except with his permission."

(4) Whoever leaves her husbands house [A: without his permission], the angels
curse her until she returns or repents."

(Khalil Nahlawi:) It is a condition for the permissibility of her going out (dis:
m10.3-4) that she take no measures to enhance her beauty, and that her figure is concealed
or altered to a form unlikely to draw looks from men or attract them. Allah most High
says,

"Remain in your homes and do not display your beauty as women did in pre-Islamic
period of ignorance" (Koran 33:33). (p. 682)

And regarding praying at the local mosque, this same manual exhorts men to do so but
advises women not to!

It is better for women to pray at home than at the mosque (A: whether they are young or
old). It is offensive for an attractive or young woman to come to the mosque and pray (0:
or for her husband to permit her), though not offensive for women who are not young or
attractive when this is unlikely to cause temptation. (N: The authors words here
must be interpreted in the light of the following details: If a womans going to
group prayer or elsewhere will definitely lead to temptation between the sexes, it is
unlawful for her to go. If such temptation can be definitely prevented, her going to the
group prayer remains sunna, as is attested to by the hadiths that have reached us on the
subject. If temptation is feared but not certain to occur, her going becomes offensive.
Whether such temptation is likely to occur is something that differs with different times,
places, and people. An old woman is not like a young one, nor a righteous society like one
in which temptation between the sexes is the rule; nor is a special prayer place set aside
for women at the mosque like a prayer place which they share with men. This is why
Aisha (Allah be pleased with her) said,

"Had the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) seen what women do now, he
would have forbidden them the mosque as the women of Bani Israil were
forbidden."

Narrated Ibn Umar:
One of the wives of Umar (bin Al-Khattab) used to offer the Fajr and the Isha
prayer in congregation in the Mosque. She was asked why she had come out
for the prayer as she knew that Umar disliked it, and he has great ghaira
(self-respect). She replied, "What prevents him from stopping me from this
act?" The other replied, "The statement of Allah's Apostle (p.b.u.h): Do
not stop Allahs women-slave from going to Allah s Mosques' prevents him."
(Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 2, Book 13,
Number 23)

Note carefully that the women have to ask their husbands first before they can even go
to the mosque and that Umar hated for women to attend prayers! The foregoing leads us to
ask the following questions: Why would women need permission to enter the house of God at
night? Do men also need their wives permission? And where does the Old Testament
forbid women from entering Gods house? Furthermore, why should women sit behind the
men while in the mosques? Finally, if Muhammad would forbid women from entering the mosque
based on things that they were doing then what about the evils committed by the men?
Shouldn't they have also been warned of being banished from God's house?

Muhammad even stated that womens salvation is dependent on whether their husbands
are pleased with them:

Narrated Umm Salamah

Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "Any woman who dies when her husband
is pleased with her will enter paradise."

Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said: There are three people whose prayer does
not pass beyond their ears: the runaway slave till he returns; the woman who spends night
in a state in which her husband is annoyed with her; and the leader of the people, whom
(they do not like).

Tirmidhi transmitted it and said: This is a gharib hadith. (Al-Tirmidhi Hadith,
Number 344; ALIM CD-ROM Version)

Narrated Abdullah ibn Abbas

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: There are three people
whose prayer does not ascend beyond their heads, even to the length of a span:
the person who leads people in prayer despite their disapproval; a woman
who spends the night (in a state) in which her husband is annoyed with her;
and the two brothers who are estranged.

At one stage in his life Muhammad permitted the degrading of women in order to satisfy
the sexual desires of Muslim men and passed it off as temporary marriages. Among Muslims
this abuse of women is called Muta:

Narrated Abdullah:
We used to participate in the holy wars carried on by the Prophet and we had no women
(wives) with us. So we said (to the Prophet). "Shall we castrate ourselves?" But
the Prophet forbade us to do that and thenceforth he allowed us to marry a woman
(temporarily) by giving her even a garment, and then he recited: "O you who
believe! Do not make unlawful the good things which Allah has made lawful for you."
(Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 6, Book 60, Number 139)

Narrated Jabir bin Abdullah and Salama bin Al-Akwa': While we were in an army,
Allah's Apostle came to us and said, "You have been allowed to do the Muta
(marriage), so do it." Salama bin Al-Akwa' said: Allah's Apostle's said, "If
a man and a woman agree (to marry temporarily), their marriage should last for three
nights, and if they like to continue, they can do so; and if they want to separate, they
can do so." I do not know whether that was only for us or for all the people in
general. Abu Abdullah (Al-Bukhari) said: Ali made it clear that the Prophet said,
"The Muta marriage has been cancelled (made unlawful)."
(Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 7, Book 62,
Number 52)

Narrated Abdullah:
We used to participate in the holy battles led by Allah's Apostle and we had nothing
(no wives) with us. So we said, "Shall we get ourselves castrated?" He forbade
us that and then allowed us to marry women with a temporary contract and recited to us:
-- O you who believe! Make not unlawful the good things which Allah has made lawful
for you, but commit no transgression. (5.87) (Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 7, Book 62,
Number 130)

Narrated Abdullah ibn Abbas
The temporary marriage applied only in the early days of Islam. A man would come
to a settlement where he had no acquaintance and marry a woman for the period
it was thought he would stay there, and she would look after his belongings and
cook for him. But Ibn Abbas said that when the verse came down, "Except their wives
or the captives their right hands possess," intercourse with anyone else became unlawful.
Tirmidhi transmitted it. (Tirmidhi Hadith, Number 942; ALIM CD-ROM Version)

The time frame usually given for such marriages (more like fornication and/or adultery)
is three days, but can theoretically last as long as an hour:

Q1: Can Someone Contract Mut'a Marriage for 1 hour?

I would say theoretically yes! Much in the same way that it is possible for some one to
marry a woman permanently and then divorce her in one hour or even less. Logically, since
the possibility of this action does not invalidate the regular marriage, therefore, it
should not be applied in the case of Mut'a either!
(Source)

Sunni Muslims generally believe that Muhammad himself abrogated this perverted practice.
Yet there are Sunni narrations that say that this practice was being observed all the way
till the time of Umar ibn Al-Khattab who stopped it, but then later reinstated it. For instance,
ar-Razi wrote of Muta:

"Mutah marriage involves a man hiring a woman for a specific amount of
money, for a certain period of time, to have sex with her. The scholars agree that this
Mut'ah marriage was authorized in the beginning of Islam. It is reported that when the
Prophet came to Mecca to perform umrah, the women of Mecca dressed up and adorned
themselves. The companions complained to the Prophet that they had not had sex for a long
time, so he said to them: Enjoy these women." (At-tafsir al-kabir, Q. 4:24)

And:

"No Muslim disputes that Mut'ah marriage was allowed in early Islam,
the difference is whether it has been abrogated or not." (Ibid.)

The hadith collections affirm that there was debate regarding whether this practice
had been abrogated:

Narrated Abu Jamra:
I heard Ibn Abbas (giving a verdict) when he was asked about the Muta with the women,
and he permitted it (Nikah-al-Muta). On that a freed slave of his said
to him, "That is only when it is very badly needed and women are scarce." On
that, Ibn Abbas said, "Yes." (Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 7, Book 62,
Number 51)

Ibn Uraij reported: 'Ati' reported that Jabir b. Abdullah came to perform 'Umra, and we
came to his abode, and the people asked him about different things, and then they made a
mention of temporary marriage, whereupon he said: Yes, we had been benefiting ourselves by
this temporary marriage during the lifetime of the Holy Prophet (may peace be upon him)
and during the time of Abu Bakr and Umar. (Sahih Muslim, Book 008,
Number 3248)

Urwa b. Zubair reported that Abdullah b. Zubair (Allah be pleased with him)
stood up (and delivered an address) in Mecca saying: Allah has made blind the hearts of
some people as He has deprived them of eyesight that they give religious verdict in favour
of temporary marriage, while he was alluding to a person (Ibn 'Abbas). Ibn Abbas called
him and said: You are an uncouth person, devoid of sense. By my life, Mut'a was practised
during the lifetime of the leader of the pious (he meant Allah's Messenger, may peace be
upon him), and Ibn Zubair said to him: Just do it yourselves, and by Allah, if you do that
I will stone you with your stones. Ibn Shihab said. Khalid b. Muhajir b. Saifullah
informed me: While I was sitting in the company of a person, a person came to him and
he asked for a religious verdict about Muta and he permitted him to do it. Ibn
Abu Amrah al-Ansari (Allah be pleased with him) said to him: Be gentle. It was
permitted in the early days of Islam, (for one) who was driven to it under the stress of
necessity just as (the eating of) carrion and the blood and flesh of swine and then Allah
intensified (the commands of) His religion and prohibited it (altogether). Ibn Shihab
reported: Rabi b. Sabra told me that his father (Sabra) said: I contracted temporary
marriage with a woman of Banu 'Amir for two cloaks during the lifetime of Allah's
Messenger (may peace be upon him); then he forbade us to do Muta. Ibn Shihab said: I
heard Rabi b. Sabra narrating it to Umar b. Abd al-Aziz and I was
sitting there. (Sahih Muslim, Book 008,
Number 3261)

Abu Nadra reported: While I was in the company of Jabir b. Abdullah, a person came to
him and said that Ibn 'Abbas and Ibn Zubair differed on the two types of Mut'a
(Tamattu of Hajj 1846 and Tamattu with women), whereupon Jabir said: We used
to do these two during the lifetime of Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him). Umar
then forbade us to do them, and so we did not revert to them. (Sahih Muslim, Book 008,
Number 3250)

One narration even says that, during the caliphate of Umar, a woman got pregnant as a
result of Muta:

Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab from Urwa ibn az-Zubayr that Khawla ibn
Hakim came to Umar ibn al-Khattab and said, "Rabia ibn Umayya made a temporary
marriage with a woman and she is pregnant by him." Umar ibn al-Khattab went out
in dismay dragging his cloak, saying, "This temporary marriage, had I come across it,
I would have ordered stoning and done away with it!" (Maliks Muwatta, Book 28,
Number 28.18.42)

Another renowned Sunni exegete and historian, al-Tabari, claimed that Umar rescinded
his prohibition:

According to Muhammad b. Ishaq - Yahya b. Main  Yaqub b. Ibrahim -
Isa b. Yazid b. Dab - Abd al-Rahman b. Abi Zayd  Imran b.
Sawdah: I said the morning prayer with Umar, and he recited the Subhan chapter and
one other. Then he left. I went off with him, and he asked if there was anything he could
do. I told him there was, so he asked me to join him. I did so and, when he entered [his
house], he gave me permission [to enter]. There he was on a bed with nothing on it. I told
him I wanted to give him some advice. His reply was, "The person giving good advice
is welcome anytime." I said, "Your community finds fault with you on four
counts." (Umar) put the top of his whip in his beard and the lower part on his
thigh. Then he said, "Tell me more." I continued, "It has been mentioned
that you declared the lesser pilgrimage forbidden during the months of the [full]
pilgrimage. The Messenger of God did not do this, nor did Abu Bakr, though it is
permitted." He answered, "It is permitted. If they were to perform the lesser
pilgrimage during the months of the pilgrimage, they would regard it as being in lieu of
the full pilgrimage, and (Mecca) would be a deserted place that year, and the pilgrimage
would be celebrated by no one, although it is part of God's greatness. You are
right." I continued, "It is also said that you have forbidden temporary
marriage, although it was a license (rukhsah) given by God. We enjoy temporary
marriage for a handful [of dates], and we can separate after three nights." He
replied, "The Messenger of God permitted it at a time of necessity. Then people
regained their life of comfort. I do not know of any Muslim who has practiced this or gone
back to it. Now anyone who wishes can marry for a handful [of dates] and separate after
three nights. You are right." I continued, "You emancipate a slave girl
if she gives birth, without her master's [consent to] the emancipation." He replied,
"I added one thing that is forbidden to another, intending only to do some
good. I ask Gods forgiveness." I continued, "There have been
complaints of your raising your voice against your subjects and your addressing them
harshly." He raised his whip, then ran his hand down it right to the end. Then he
said, "I am Muhammad's traveling companion"- he [in fact] sat behind him at the
raid on Qarqarat al-Kudr (The History of al-Tabari: The Conquest of Iran,
translated by G. Rex Smith [State University of New York Press, Albany, 1994], Volume XIV,
pp. 139-140; bold emphasis ours)

To add to this mass confusion, this next hadith says that the Quran never abrogated
Muta:

Narrated 'Imran bin Husain:
The Verse of Hajj-at-Tamatu was revealed in Allahs Book, so we performed it with
Allahs Apostle, and nothing was revealed in Qur'an to make it illegal, nor did
the Prophet prohibit it till he died. But the man (who regarded it illegal) just
expressed what his own mind suggested. (Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 6, Book 60,
Number 43)

The Saudi translator of Sahih al-Bukhari, Muhammad Muhsin Khan, has changed the word
Mut'a to Hajj-at-Tamatu, even though the Arabic text of the Hadith that is placed next to
the English says Mut'a. Yet even here the point is still clear since the expression
Hajj-at-Tamatu refers to the practice of Muta during the time of Hajj, i.e. Muta of Hajj.

Despite the Sunni claim that Muta has been cancelled one will still find Shiite
Muslims condoning and practicing it, as the following links show:

As anyone can see, this practice is nothing more than a form of legalized prostitution
since its sole aim being to gratify the carnal perversions of men.

The practice of Muta may account for why the following text is worded in the way
that it is:

And let those who do not find the means to marry keep chaste until Allah makes them
free from want out of His grace. And (as for) those who ask for a writing from among those
whom your right hands possess, give them the writing if you know any good in them, and
give them of the wealth of Allah which He has given you; and do not compel your slave
girls to prostitution, WHEN THEY DESIRE TO KEEP CHASTE, in order to seek the frail
good of this world's life; and whoever compels them, then surely after their compulsion
Allah is Forgiving, Merciful. S. 24:33 Shakir

From the way this passage is worded one can easily conclude that prostitution is only a
sin when the slave girl desires chastity. Otherwise, if she does not desire to be chaste
then it is okay for her to prostitute herself for gain. This interpretation makes sense in
light of the practice of temporary marriages. After all, there must be women who are
willing to be used and degraded in this manner for Muta to even be possible.

This concludes the second part of our analysis.
Continue with Part Three.